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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. press — to push
  3. chair — a leader
  4. roll — a list
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. press — newspapers
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — to sink
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. current — electric
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. race — humankind
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — happening now
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com